My husband and I have eaten here a few times but the food is not always good because sometimes it is prepared and put together incorrectly and not balanced.... and sometimes the portions are small while other times they are normal. It's too bad ,I think they would be more popular if they could get it right every time. I have a few other friends that used to eat there and have the same problems and say the same things about them.

This place is truly underrated. We tried the fried sweet potatoes, spicy noodle, and mango sticky rice. It was wonderful that they use actual sweet potatoes instead of yams. The spicy noodle was great and the wide noodles were cooked to the perfect texture allowing them to absorb the sauce perfectly. The absolute highlight of the meal was the finale. YOU NEED THE MANGO STICKY RICE. It’s a need you need it. Perfectly balanced sweet sticky rice.

Fresh ingredients, great teastes, original dishes and fast and friendly service. The kids loves the fresh spring rolls and my wife love the vegetarian fried rice. I had a fantastic eggplant salad that was spicy and delicious. The pad dishes were great as well! Very recommend if you are into Thai food in Santa Cruz.

Solid Thai food in midtown Santa Cruz. Good spicy noodles (#67, aka Pad Kee Mao) and larb. I just wish they served larger lettuce leaves so I could actually eat the larb as a wrap. Definitely worth giving Real Thai Kitchen a try if you're in the area, though.

One of those friendly, slightly disorganized places that fit right into a neighborhood like a key fits right into a lock. You know, that place that sits right in the middle of those two or three go-to places that you hit every time it’s been a long day and you can’t face the kitchen. They know your name, they know what you order, they know what your level of spice is. If you say kob khun krab as you leave (if you’re a guy), they remember you for life.
I had a perfectly respectable Tom Kha with noodles that had plenty of chicken, good noodle lift, and filled me to the brim.
When I ordered regular iced tea, they brought not only a good sized glass, but a carafe for refill as well. Now… I suppose that saves them extra work, but I think it’s a stellar idea.
If you’re looking for high end Thai that pushes the envelope and makes you want to swoon, this is not that. It’s just good, solid, friendly, neighborhood Thai. The kind of place that puts down roots, sends their kids to college and becomes part of your lives.
When the yuppie, hip joints have moved on, this place will still be here slinging noodles and Thai iced tea. And I’ll bet the locals are as loyal as dogs that get to sleep on the bed.
Kob khun krab!!!

I think Real Thai Kitchen Santa Cruz may be the best Thai I've had since a greatly beloved childhood restaurant in the North of England. I get the strong feeling someone really cares that I love the food. Pineapple fried rice, mango with sticky rice, tofu satay and Pad See Ew all especially recommended. And they deliver via Door Dash to our area in Scotts Valley!

I can make peace with paying $4 more for beef in my pad thai, but getting home and finding they used chicken anyway is just infuriating. The food was tasty but it's pricey and there are better thai options in town.

Also, while I love spicy food my partner does not. The heat for a mild dish was way too strong for her and I'd say it was definitely well above mild.

restaurant with terrible service. I said three times when ordering that I would eat in the restaurant, not take away. brought out a bag with food. ate like a pig. having created (by myself) a rest for a spoon and called a rice plate from cardoon. tom yum - do not order. liquid and tasteless.

My husband and I have eaten here a few times but the food is not always good because sometimes it is prepared and put together incorrectly and not balanced.... and sometimes the portions are small while other times they are normal. It's too bad ,I think they would be more popular if they could get it right every time. I have a few other friends that used to eat there and have the same problems and say the same things about them.

Rude

Was really exicted to try this place but ended up finding multiple hairs in my takeout order. Had to throw the whole thing away. Super disappointed since it was more expensive than most other Thai places

Delicious food with kind sincere service.

restaurant with terrible service. I said three times when ordering that I would eat in the restaurant, not take away. brought out a bag with food. ate like a pig. having created (by myself) a rest for a spoon and called a rice plate from cardoon. tom yum - do not order. liquid and tasteless.

Orange chicken was fabulous with rice noodles.

En cuanto a la comida eh probando mejores y se sentía mucho el olor a pollo en la comida

Lovely family run thai place with delicious food and friendly service.

We've eaten here for decades. Good food.

I can make peace with paying $4 more for beef in my pad thai, but getting home and finding they used chicken anyway is just infuriating. The food was tasty but it's pricey and there are better thai options in town.

Also, while I love spicy food my partner does not. The heat for a mild dish was way too strong for her and I'd say it was definitely well above mild.

Delicious food very generous portions fresh and clean

I loved the fresh spring rolls and peanut and sweet sauces that comes with them 😋 Will be coming back for more spring rolls the next time I'm in town

I’ve been here a dozen times. It’s a little gem with delicious food at reasonable prices. The service is kind and human. The decor is simple. They also offer delivery options. Most people would consider this the best Thai food around.

Such great food! Get the pad thia.

Excellent Thai food. The pineapple fried rice with duck is superb, without being overly heavy.

If you order for pick up check your order. I order three white rice. They say the large box is rice for two and the small one is white rice for one. The box is not much difference. And the sticky rice sad. So small. Not ordering from here again. And I tip 18% too.

This place is great and the food is amazing! The staff was so sweet. They need more recognition, You have dig in Google to find this place

Very tasty, spicy Thai food. Really enjoyed it.

I used to love this place, but unfortunately the quality has gone down quite a bit

Everything was delicious, very tasty curries and fresh ingredients.

Highly recommended. Food was delicious, fresh and plenty. And that's sea food! In my opinion, the curry is too sweet.

Got takeout. Flavorful Ginger soup &, Tom Kha soup, yes!
Spicy Fried Rice, Spicy Green Beans, Green Curry yes, yes and yes!
Tofu Satay was not marinated well, so that was boring... this place is a gem and truly underrated. Will happily come back to try more!

Amazing amazing food, will come here again. Papaya salad, eggplant stir fry, pineapple curry, spicy eggplant, everything was incredible.

Loved the food here, a party of 5, ordered a lot of food and everything was delicious

Suuuuuckkks

Love their green curry with tofu, and mixed vegetable entree. Amazing!

This place used to have the best Thai buffet in town alas no more Buffet but it still is the best Thai food in town and at a reasonable cost lunch specials are still pretty good for Taste excellent for Value pretty good

Unbelievable!! Walked in, stood and ordered food to go. There was a $11.(and some change) for a tip put on my bill with out asking me!!

Amazing Thai food. Vegetarian friendly.

I love this place. The food is amazing, extremely tasteful, and seasoned perfectly. They have never gotten my order wrong. They're on top of everything, they don't play around haha. I usually do take out, but I dined in on my birthday a couple months ago and their service was amazing. The atmosphere was nice too. If you want authentic Thai food with great service, you should definitely try this place. I almost want to gatekeep because it's so good, but they deserve the business.

amazing food. amazing service. 10/10

Great food..

Good Thai food. Not great but ok.

This place is truly underrated. We tried the fried sweet potatoes, spicy noodle, and mango sticky rice. It was wonderful that they use actual sweet potatoes instead of yams. The spicy noodle was great and the wide noodles were cooked to the perfect texture allowing them to absorb the sauce perfectly. The absolute highlight of the meal was the finale. YOU NEED THE MANGO STICKY RICE. It’s a need you need it. Perfectly balanced sweet sticky rice.

Loved this place! Little hole in the wall. Loved the seafood fried rice - very flavorful. The green curry was awesome. Usually it's about what's in the green curry but this green curry would be good on anything! We also enjoyed the Pad See Ew was delicious the brown sauce was very good.

Food was really delicious and service was extremely fast .. a +++

Great take out option!

This Pad Thai here was amazing. Everyone else we were with loved their dishes as well. We are all some legit Thai food connoisseurs and have eaten at more Thai restaurants than I can remember. This one was amazing.

We order few items but all tastes sweet!

My favorite Thai place in town. I always get green curry. It’s gluten free. I usually can only tolerate mild spice but this place I get medium so go a level up on the spice you want. The food is always ready fast and there’s usually parking.

La comida está deliciosa pero el servicio pésimo y automáticamente te cobran la propina inclusive ordenes para llevar así que ten mucho cuidado revisa tu tiket antes de firmar

Friendly service and excellent food. Traditional Phad Thai was delicious. My wife had the Phad see ew with beef and loved it. Prices very reasonable as well.

Delicious big bowl of chicken tom kha with silver noodles and shrimp for lunch! Very friendly, professional service. Clean, warm dining room.

I think Real Thai Kitchen Santa Cruz may be the best Thai I've had since a greatly beloved childhood restaurant in the North of England. I get the strong feeling someone really cares that I love the food. Pineapple fried rice, mango with sticky rice, tofu satay and Pad See Ew all especially recommended. And they deliver via Door Dash to our area in Scotts Valley!

Great spicy pepper condiment

This is one of the best Thai restaurants in Santa Cruz!!! We enjoyed every bit of that lovely meal. And even enjoyed sticky rice…

Lunch specials are great, food is good, service was prompt.

Real Thai Kitchen is my favorite Thai food place in Santa Cruz county

Food was good but I've never heard of a Thai food restaurant where you have to order rice separate from the curry (for $3 each). Was extremely disappointing after getting back from picking up an order to have to drive back and pay for rice that should have been included from the beginning.

I love it when a place confirms your order before it goes to the kitchen. It makes you feel more positive that you’re going to get what you ordered.

Thai food is good with lots of vegetables. We love the soup, salads, Thai fried rice and all curries with coconut milk. Yummy.

Loved the Coconut soup and the pineapple curry.

This place is as authentic as thai food can get. The portions are very generous and the prices are also reasonable. Their pad thai is absolutely delicious and I hope that more tourists check out this hidden gem and eat here!!

Decent Thai food in Santa Cruz. The basil duck was flavourful and the shrimp in our papaya salad was sou vided just right.

I got Pad Thai and Pas See Ew. Both are tied for the most bland thai noodle dishes I've had in as long as I can remember.
I ordered the Pad See Ew "thai hot" and it has no semblance of spice whatsoever.
The noodles were good in respect to both dishes; however the flavor and spice was lacking and downright disappointing.

Surprised their score is so low. Green curry, pad Thai, pad see ew and pineapple fried rice are my favorite here. Such nice people and always dependable.

I am a tourist from Northern California. This was one of the worst experiences ever . The food looked great and presentable, however the taste was a zero . I ordered a take out for a beef noodle soup, spicy beef stir fry and a bbq pork ribs. It all cost $52 including tips. There was no condiments , nor Utensils. There was no taste and no flavor and nothing call home. Not “real” Thai food without flavors. This restaurant doesn’t deserve a 4.2 review but a 3 star . And they need to update their hours online.

Muy buen lugar y buena comida y servicio agradable

My favorite Thai restaurant in Santa Cruz. The food is consistently great, prices are reasonable, and staff is friendly. My family's favorites to order are the green curry, panang curry, padthai, and mango sticky rice. Eating in or taking out is a breeze!

Our experience was very bad. We got our friends to taste thai food for the first time, and the food was not good at all. Plus, the waitress serving us had a very rude attitude. I will not recommend this place.

Extremely bland food and very rude service! Asked for 7 glasses of water, guess the response from server - “you have water bottles already, why do you need 7?”

We love Thai food, but the food here was so terrible.

Worst Thai food (Soup, Pad Thai, Noodles) I ever had in my life! No wonder the place was empty when we get there. Pathetic food and rude staff. The soup and noodles was totally bland, without any flavor. They even charged gratuity for the kids.

Never disappointed with any of the meals here. They’re all chef’s kiss 🤌🏽. And the Thai iced coffee!! Don’t even get me started. Bombbbb

came here with my boyfriend on a friday night; super delicious thai tea boba, chicken satay and green curry. place is really cozy for dates. would def come again.

I like this place! I order takeout from here at least once a month. The service is friendly and the food is pretty good. The silver noodle soup is full of flavor & it is similar to pho if you’re looking for good soup in Santa Cruz. I also enjoy the fresh spring rolls and the tangerine tofu.

Great food loved the atmosphere and service was amazing I had the spicy noodle bowl and it was great the workers were very kind I recommend if you are trying to eat Thai food in Santa Cruz without it being very crowded and packed in

One of those friendly, slightly disorganized places that fit right into a neighborhood like a key fits right into a lock. You know, that place that sits right in the middle of those two or three go-to places that you hit every time it’s been a long day and you can’t face the kitchen. They know your name, they know what you order, they know what your level of spice is. If you say kob khun krab as you leave (if you’re a guy), they remember you for life.
I had a perfectly respectable Tom Kha with noodles that had plenty of chicken, good noodle lift, and filled me to the brim.
When I ordered regular iced tea, they brought not only a good sized glass, but a carafe for refill as well. Now… I suppose that saves them extra work, but I think it’s a stellar idea.
If you’re looking for high end Thai that pushes the envelope and makes you want to swoon, this is not that. It’s just good, solid, friendly, neighborhood Thai. The kind of place that puts down roots, sends their kids to college and becomes part of your lives.
When the yuppie, hip joints have moved on, this place will still be here slinging noodles and Thai iced tea. And I’ll bet the locals are as loyal as dogs that get to sleep on the bed.
Kob khun krab!!!

Very courteous staff and delicious food! Not busy on a Saturday afternoon. The Thai tea is excellent!

Online ordering system kept resetting on me, I had to try to order three times before it went through. Delivery wasn’t delivered to our motel address (on the first floor next to parking lot), we had to go down and get it from the office even though room number was on the ticket. For a $50 order we got 3 small boxes of food. I asked for utensils but nothing came with the order. My sauté dish was bland meat and boiled veggies in spicy water, not great. Regretting pre-tipping

I found this place online, I parked, and walked over to the restaurant menu in the window. I looked over everything on the menu, walked in and was about to order until I saw the cook in the back not wearing a mask. I was disappointed because everyone needs to wear masks otherwise it will continue prolonging this pandemic,... and I was hungry 😭

Solid Thai food in midtown Santa Cruz. Good spicy noodles (#67, aka Pad Kee Mao) and larb. I just wish they served larger lettuce leaves so I could actually eat the larb as a wrap. Definitely worth giving Real Thai Kitchen a try if you're in the area, though.

Excellent food and service. Will definitely return.

Great staff - they know how to hustle! They were super fast and accommodating for our large party dining in on Christmas Eve all while having a steady flow of take out orders. All the dishes had unique flavors too - not like they were all sharing the same sauce. We got green curry, Tom kha soup, mango curry, pad see ew. All were great. Others got some fish dishes and pad Thai and such - didn't get to try them but there were no complaints!

So you know those nostalgic Thai food places that you remember from traveling? Dreaming of basil and spices? Ya this is NOT that place. I ordered tom yum and the lettuce wrap. I actually came back because I thought they forgot it. Nope. You get a small dish with the meat mixture and all of other ingredients to go with it. The justification for it being separate made sense but whatever the meat mixture was tasted like dirty dishwater. No lie. I couldn't force my self to eat it. It was THAT bad! And the Tom yum was absolutely nothing special but I know 550 better ways to spend $20 7 small pieces of seafood and couple of mushrooms in warm coconut milk. That's it. No veggies, no rice on the side. So I am out $40and going somewhere else. Worst Thai food I have ever had in my life.

Food was delicious! The coconut milk soup was a standout, but the green curry & spicy noodle entrees were also fantastic! Yum!

This is the best Thai food I’ve ever had, with the most *unique* and *varied* menu I’ve seen. And I come from the Bay Area and have lived all around it, so that’s saying a lot! I recently had [the ironically named] phad see ew for the first time and the noodles tasted like potsticker dough- yum! The fried sweet potatoes w/ plum sauce = crack cocaine🤤

Quick and easy. The food was better than I expected based on location. Will definitely return when I am in the area

I came here for lunch and dined in. It was a very clean and beautiful restaurant and we got our food and water quickly. I am vegan and was able to get my entire order made vegan no problem. I highly recommend the massaman curry with tofu. It was delicious!

RTK's dishes are always delicious, fresh and tasty. We had coconut soup, pumpkin curry soup, and punkin fired rice... all perfectly flavored!

The food is ok because it's over priced for what it is staff is friendly

Lettuce wraps and pad Thai...both were delicious! Very small portions!!

Food was delicious and a good value. Highly recommend the Tom Kha if you crave it like I do! Service was sweet and efficient.

Small portions for the Tom Yum soup. Owner has an attitude. Food is too sweet.

Good food and service

We ordered yellow and panang curry. Yellow curry was awful. Tasted like raw coconut milk which hasn't been cooked. Salt missing.

Liked their sticky rice with mango though.

I don't have enough experience eating Thai food to probably give an accurate opinion. I have nothing at this point to compare. I'm going to give 3 stars knowing it probably deserves more. The vegetables were well cooked; no doubt about that.

Best fish cakes evee

Best thai food in town!

Not enough food that was nothing special

The food is great musamay curry beaf and rice yummy best meal ever. Price is right easy to go in order come to your care

Larb "salad" and green papaya salad are some of our favorite dishes. So much flavor.

Love it here! Delicious food and great ambiance.

Best green curry in Santa Cruz!!

Yummy

Great spicy Thai basil

Great food

Boba coffee is the best

(Takeout): #thegreatamericantakeout part IV! Tonight we went for Thai because it felt like something light would be in order. I felt papaya salad and was loving it! What I wasn‘t quite expecting was the heat... They are taking their spiciness serious! 🌶🔥👌🏼 WOW!! If you like it HOT, this is definitely a place to keep in mind! 👍🏼

Amazingly great Thai food served by pleasant staff. Restaurant is clean, menu is varied with options for vegetarians and carnivores. Beer and wine selection. Local artwork adds to the ambiance. One of the best Thai restaurants anywhere.

Good but portions are very small for the price.

Mediocre

Friendly staff, decent food, good Thom Yum

Food is fresh, their lunch buffet has a good selection. Service is prompt and friendly.

Decent food but the staff. They get busy, but they can't always handle it when it gets busy.

Loved the ginger veggie soup

Nice place good service and great food

Not as tasty as it costs.

Smelled great walking in and the food was just as good. Real friendly staff.

Good lunch buffet! Vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, yummy tom yum soup!

Had lunch with friends, two of us ordered off the menu and my husband and my friend had the lunch buffet. When wanted to try their food from the buffet the waitress rushed over and reprimanded us that it cannot be shared. For fearing that it might happen again, she kept hovering around the table. It's important to mention that the servings that two people had from the buffet on 2 occasions were small, we did not want to abuse the "all you can eat" buffet. To be monitored and reprimanded, took away the pleasure of going out with friends. Food was mediocre, especially the buffet offering. I would not go back there.

Always great food and service.

Amazing service

Food was okay. Quick service.

Very good beef noodle soup, and the portion well suited for a hungry belly!
Too bad they didn’t have the fresh springs rolls! Wrapped lettuce chicken was a good substitute though.

אוכל אותנטי וטעים

The real deal Thai food. Not only is ALL of it delicious, it's light, not greasy or heavy. A few favorites - Crab Lagoon, Ginger Soup, Crispy Duck, the list is long.

Friendly

We love this Place.. They serve fresh food... Delicious.. And recipes are fresh.. Excellent..

Great Thai food, friendly staff and good for my budget too. I enjoyed the buffet in a low key and pleasingly quiet atmosphere.

Best thai food in the city.

The buffet has very small selection and the food doesn’t have much good flavor to it. No seafood and even the pad Thai is old fashioned and doesn’t have meat to it.

Always good! Great service, great food.

Online it says they deliver..but they dont..so why does it say they do- stupid

Good food selection. Steam fish dish was good

This place has home style Thai food that is generally not highly spiced to meet local tastes. They will spice as much as you want though. They have a nice weekday lunch buffet too - including a number of vegetarian choices. I like!

Great Thai food.

Amazing food!

The service here is wonderful. The employees are always so kind and friendly. And the food is delicious!

deliciosa la comida

Good servings, very delicious.

Very rude cashier and manager. They do not greet you apon arrival and stare at you like they're angry when you dine in or order take out.